📖 A — The English dictionary · page 30

amblyopia — Everyday, meaning 1: Amblyopia is an eye problem, often called «lazy eye», where one eye does not see clearly because the brain uses the other eye more.↗ Example: Amblyopia is often called lazy eye.↗ · She wore an eye patch to treat her amblyopia.↗ · Amblyopia is best treated when a child is young.↗ · Eye tests at school can find amblyopia early.↗ · Glasses can help some children with amblyopia.↗ · With amblyopia, the brain ignores the blurry eye.↗

ambrosia — Everyday, meaning 1: In Greek myth, ambrosia is the food of the gods, which kept them living for ever.↗ Example: The gods feasted on ambrosia on Mount Olympus.↗ · Nectar was the drink, and ambrosia the food of the gods.↗

ambulance — Everyday, meaning 1: A special vehicle with trained people and medical equipment that takes sick or injured people to hospital quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Also used for the service itself (call an ambulance).↗ Example: Someone fainted, so the teacher called an ambulance.↗ · The ambulance raced past with its siren on.↗ · Cars pulled over to let the ambulance through.↗ · The paramedics in the ambulance helped the injured cyclist.↗ · An air ambulance is a helicopter that carries patients.↗ · Grandma went to hospital by ambulance.↗ · If someone is badly hurt, call for an ambulance straight away.↗

ambulate — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal, medical) To ambulate is to walk or move about.↗ Example: After the operation, the patient began to ambulate with help.↗ · The nurse helped Grandpa ambulate down the corridor.↗ · He can now ambulate without crutches.↗ · Patients are encouraged to ambulate soon after surgery.↗ · The robot could ambulate on two legs.↗ · The doctor checked how well she could ambulate.↗

ambulation — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal, medicine) Walking or moving about on foot.↗ Example: The nurse helped with Grandad's ambulation after surgery.↗ · Early ambulation helps patients heal.↗ · The crutches assist ambulation.↗ · Ambulation was slow after her knee operation.↗ · The physio checked his ambulation in the corridor.↗ · Ambulation means walking.↗

ambush — Everyday, meaning 1: An ambush is a surprise attack by people or animals who have been hiding and waiting.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To ambush someone means to hide and then attack them by surprise.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) To ambush someone can mean to surprise them with difficult questions or a sudden request.↗ Example: The soldiers walked straight into an ambush.↗ · The crocodile is an ambush hunter that waits in the water.↗ · My little sisters ambushed me with water pistols.↗ · The robbers lay in ambush beside the road.↗ · The journalist ambushed the minister with a tricky question.↗ · In the game, we set an ambush behind the castle wall.↗ · The spider ambushed the fly from under a leaf.↗ · A Lion lay in ambush in the hope of making them his prey, but was afraid to attack them while they kept together.↗ · And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai.↗ (Prophets JOS.8.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city; for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.↗ (Prophets JOS.8.7, JPS 1917)↗ · And he commanded them, saying: 'Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready.↗ (Prophets JOS.8.4, JPS 1917)↗

ambusher — Everyday, meaning 1: An ambusher is a person or animal that hides and waits to attack someone by surprise.↗ Example: The ambushers hid behind the rocks.↗ · A crocodile is an ambusher that waits in the water.↗ · The knights were attacked by ambushers in the forest.↗ · Trapdoor spiders are clever ambushers.↗ · The ambusher leapt out from behind the tree.↗ · In the game, watch out for ambushers in the long grass.↗

amelia — Everyday, meaning 1: (a name) Amelia is a girl's first name, very popular in the UK, Australia and other English-speaking countries.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a name) A famous Amelia was Amelia Earhart, an American pilot who was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean and who later disappeared while trying to fly around the world.↗ Example: Amelia sits next to me in class.↗ · Amelia has 24 sweets and shares them equally with 3 friends.↗ · Amelia Earhart was a famous pilot.↗ · Amelia Earhart's plane was never found.↗ · Amelia is one of the most popular girls' names in England.↗ · Amelia's mum calls her Millie for short.↗ · In the story, Amelia finds a secret door in the attic.↗ · We wrote a report about Amelia Earhart's life.↗

amelioration — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Amelioration is making something bad better, or the process of it getting better.↗ Example: The new laws led to the amelioration of factory conditions.↗ · Adding compost brings an amelioration of poor soil.↗ · The doctors hoped for an amelioration of her symptoms.↗ · The charity works for the amelioration of poverty.↗ · There was a slow amelioration in the weather.↗ · Better lighting was an amelioration for the old school.↗

amenable — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Willing to accept something, or able to be treated in a certain way.↗ Example: The first is clearly the root שָׁכַב shakhav ‘to lie, lie down’, but שכובה looks like a passive participle, shekhuvah, while shakhav is normally an intransitive verb not amenable to being made passive.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

amend — Everyday, meaning 1: To amend something written, like a law, rule or document, is to change it a little to correct or improve it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To make amends is to do something good to show you are sorry for a wrong you did.↗ Example: The council voted to amend the rules for the park.↗ · Please amend your story to add more detail.↗ · The law was amended to protect wild birds.↗ · The teacher amended my mark after checking again.↗ · He made amends by fixing the broken fence.↗ · She wanted to make amends for being unkind.↗ · Nay, but if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbour; (Prophets JER.7.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.↗ (Prophets JER.7.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and hearken to the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent Him of the evil that He hath pronounced against you.↗ (Prophets JER.26.13, JPS 1917)↗

amended — Everyday, meaning 1: Changed a little to correct or improve it, especially a rule, law, plan or piece of writing.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law) Officially altered by adding or changing parts, like an amended law.↗ Example: The school sent home an amended timetable for the sports day.↗ · She handed in an amended copy of her story.↗ · The law was amended to protect wildlife.↗ · Here are the amended rules for the game.↗ · The teacher amended my mark after checking again.↗ · The amended plan includes a wet-weather option.↗ · Please read the amended letter carefully.↗

amendment — Everyday, meaning 1: An amendment is a small change made to a law, rule, plan or piece of writing to correct or improve it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law, USA) An Amendment is one of the changes added to the United States Constitution, such as the First Amendment about free speech.↗ Example: The council made an amendment to the parking rules.↗ · Parliament voted on the amendment.↗ · The First Amendment protects free speech in the USA.↗ · I made a few amendments to my story after reading it again.↗ · The teacher accepted our amendment to the class rules.↗ · There are twenty-seven amendments to the US Constitution.↗ · The amendment changed one word in the law.↗ · The remaining amendments are listed below.↗

amends — Everyday, meaning 1: Something you do to show you are sorry and to put right a wrong you did.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To make amends for something can also mean to make up for a fault or lack so that it is balanced out.↗ Example: He made amends by buying her a new pencil case.↗ · I want to make amends for being rude.↗ · She made amends to her brother by sharing her sweets.↗ · The team made amends for last week's loss by winning.↗ · You can make amends by helping clean up.↗ · It's never too late to make amends.↗ · To the second son, whose wisdom and prudence made amends for his being rather dull, she gave the government of the earth.↗ · Amends pleadeth for fools; but among the upright there is good will.↗ (Writings PRO.14.9, JPS 1917)↗

amenities — Everyday, meaning 1: Useful or pleasant things and services in a place, like parks, shops, toilets, a pool or Wi-Fi.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, informal) «Public amenities» can mean public toilets.↗ Example: The campsite has good amenities: showers and a shop.↗ · Our town needs more amenities for teenagers.↗ · The hotel's amenities include a pool.↗ · Basic amenities like clean water matter most.↗ · The flat is close to local amenities.↗ · The park's amenities include swings and a café.↗

american — Everyday, meaning 1: From or about the United States of America.↗ e.g. American food, an American city.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A person from the United States.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: From or about the Americas as a whole (North, Central and South America), as in the American continents or Native American peoples.↗ Example: My cousin is American; she lives in Texas.↗ · American football is different from soccer.↗ · In American English you write "color"; in British English, "colour".↗ · The bald eagle is the national bird of the USA, an American symbol.↗ · Native Americans lived in America long before Europeans came.↗ · We watched an American film about a dog.↗ · Canada is also in North America.↗ · The American flag has 50 stars, one for each state.↗ · (18) A North American Indian story.↗

amethyst — Everyday, meaning 1: An amethyst is a purple gem, a kind of stone used in rings and jewels.↗ Example: She wore a ring with a purple amethyst.↗ · The throne stood on steps inlaid with great amethysts.↗ · The treasure chest was full of gold and amethysts.↗ · and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; (Torah EXO.28.19, JPS 1917)↗ · And the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst.↗ (Torah EXO.39.12, JPS 1917)↗

amharic — Everyday, meaning 1: The main working language of Ethiopia, written in its own script called Ge'ez (Fidel).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: adjective.↗ e.g. About that language.↗ Example: Amharic is spoken by millions in Ethiopia.↗ · Amharic uses its own beautiful script.↗ · My friend's mum speaks Amharic at home.↗ · «Selam» is a greeting in Amharic.↗ · Amharic letters stand for whole syllables.↗ · We saw an Amharic sign in the café.↗

amiable — Everyday, meaning 1: Friendly, pleasant and easy to like.↗ Example: The amiable shopkeeper gave us free sweets.↗ · Our new neighbour seems amiable.↗ · They had an amiable chat over tea.↗ · The giant was amiable, not scary.↗ · She was amiable to everyone in class.↗ · The dog has an amiable nature.↗ · I had better have married my amiable shepherd.↗

amiably — Everyday, meaning 1: Amiably means in a friendly, pleasant way.↗ Example: «Hello,» she said amiably.↗ · The dog wagged its tail amiably.↗ · He answered amiably, though he was tired.↗

amicable — Everyday, meaning 1: Amicable means friendly and without arguments, especially when people could have argued.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law, formal) An amicable agreement or divorce is settled calmly, with both sides agreeing.↗ Example: The two teams had an amicable chat after the match.↗ · My parents' divorce was amicable, and they are still friends.↗ · We reached an amicable agreement to share the swing.↗ · The neighbours settled the fence argument amicably.↗ · The band split up on amicable terms.↗ · It is better to sort out problems in an amicable way.↗ · These amicable relations between the brothers were, however, sometimes interrupted.↗

amicably — Everyday, meaning 1: Amicably means in a friendly way, without quarrelling: «to settle a dispute amicably».↗ Example: The two friends settled the quarrel amicably.↗ · «Hullo,» replied Peter amicably.↗ · They shared the cake amicably.↗

amir — Everyday, meaning 1: An amir (usually spelled emir) is a ruler, prince or commander in some Muslim countries, especially in the Middle East.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Amir is also a common first name for boys in many countries.↗ Example: The amir lived in a palace by the sea.↗ · Amir is the new boy in our class.↗ · Some countries in the Middle East are ruled by an emir.↗ · Amir scored the winning goal.↗ · In the old tale, the amir gave the traveller a golden cup.↗ · Amir and I walk to school together.↗ · He was receiving a visit from the Amir of Afghanistan--a wild king of a very wild country.↗

amiss — Everyday, meaning 1: Amiss means wrong, or not as it should be: «something is amiss».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: «Take it amiss» means be upset or offended by what someone said.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «Come amiss» means be welcome: a little help can never come amiss.↗ Example: «What's amiss with you?» said the Governor.↗ · Something is amiss; the cat keeps hiding.↗ · Don't take it amiss if I leave early.↗ · A little help can never come amiss.↗

amity — Everyday, meaning 1: Amity is friendly peace between people or groups who get along well and do not fight.↗ Example: The two villages lived in amity for many years.↗ · The kings swore amity after the war.↗ · Friends keep amity by sharing and being kind.↗ · The dodecad symbolizes war, the triad of amity, the triad of enmity, three which are life-giving, three which are death-dealing, and God, the faithful king, rules over all from the throne of his sanctity.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗

ammonia — Everyday, meaning 1: A colourless gas with a very strong, sharp smell, made of nitrogen and hydrogen.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A liquid solution of this gas in water, used in some cleaning products.↗ Example: Ammonia has a very strong smell.↗ · The hamster cage smelled of ammonia.↗ · Never mix bleach with ammonia; it makes a dangerous gas.↗ · Ammonia is used to make fertilisers for farms.↗ · Some glass cleaners contain ammonia.↗ · Ammonia is made of nitrogen and hydrogen.↗